Morning after surgery

Morning after surgery

Gabby spent the night sedated with a breathing tube.  Her numbers look good and they took her for another MRI at 6:00 this morning.  Right now they are in the process of waking her up and removing the breathing tube.  She is on pain medication.

They will continue to monitor hormones.  The pituitary gland manages many things for the body and they want to make sure it is producing the hormones she needs:

What does my pituitary gland do?  http://www.yourhormones.info/Glands/Pituitary_gland.aspx

The pituitary gland is called the ‘master gland’ as the hormones it produces control so many different processes in the body. It senses the body’s needs and sends signals to different organs and glands throughout the body to regulate their function and maintain an appropriate environment. It secretes a variety of hormones into the bloodstream which act as messengers to transmit information from the pituitary gland to distant cells, regulating their activity. For example, the pituitary gland produces prolactin, which acts on the breasts to induce milk production. The pituitary gland also secretes hormones that act on the adrenal glands, thyroid gland, ovaries and testes, which in turn produce other hormones. Through production of its hormones, the pituitary gland controls metabolism, growth, sexual maturation, reproduction, blood pressure and many other vital physical functions and processes.

What hormones does my pituitary gland produce?
The anterior pituitary gland produces the following hormones and releases them into the bloodstream:
 

•  Adrenocorticotropic hormone, which stimulates the adrenal glands to secrete steroid hormones, principally cortisol
•  Growth hormone, which regulates growth, metabolism and body composition
•   Luteinising hormone and follicle stimulating hormone, also known as gonadotrophins. They act on the ovaries or testes to stimulate sex hormone production, and egg and sperm maturity.
•   Prolactin, which stimulates milk production
•   Thyroid stimulating hormone, which stimulates the thyroid gland to secrete thyroid hormones.

There are also some hormones that are produced by the hypothalamus and then stored in the posterior pituitary gland prior to being released into the bloodstream. These are:

• Anti-diuretic hormone, which controls water balance and blood pressure. It is made by the hypothalamus but is stored in the posterior pituitary gland prior to being released into the bloodstream.
•  Oxytocin, which stimulates uterine contractions during labour and milk secretion during breastfeeding. It is made by the hypothalamus but is stored in the posterior pituitary gland prior to being released into the bloodstream.

Each of these hormones is made by a separate type of cell within the pituitary gland, except for follicle stimulating hormone and luteinising hormone, which are made together by the same cell.

What could go wrong with my pituitary gland?

The pituitary gland is an important gland in the body and the hormones it produces carry out varied tasks and regulate the function of many other organs. This means that the symptoms experienced when the pituitary gland stops working correctly can be varied depending on which hormone is affected.

• Conditions that affect the pituitary gland directly can be divided into three main categories:
• Conditions that cause the pituitary gland to produce too much of one or more hormone(s). Examples include acromegaly, Cushing's disease and prolactinoma.
• Conditions that cause the pituitary gland to produce too little of one or more hormone(s). Examples include adult growth hormone deficiency, diabetes insipidus or hypopituitarism.
•  Conditions that alter the size and/or shape of the pituitary gland. Examples include empty sella syndrome.

A cell type may divide and then form a small benign lump known as a tumour, and the patient may then suffer from the effects of too much of the hormone the cell produces. If the tumour grows very large, even though still benign, it may squash the surrounding cells and stop them working (hypopituitarism), or push upwards and interfere with vision – a visual field defect. Very occasionally, the tumour may expand sideways and cause double vision as it affects the nerves which control eye movements. It should be emphasised that even when these tumours are large, they usually remain quite benign and very rarely spread to other parts of the body.